The “Good Samaritan” is a painting Van Gogh made in 1890, the year of his death. A work that is part of the Dutch artist’s sacred artistic background, where the action of the Good Samaritan who, with a determined gesture, offers his help to another man in distress, without sparing himself, is unequivocal and moving.
In the midst of a dirt road and sun-baked fields, the parable of “compassion,” according to Luke’s gospel, comes to life. A man with his sleeves rolled up, arching his back while helping himself with his leg, lifts the heavy body of his neighbor in an attempt to pull him to safety on the horse after a probable misadventure. The disheveled reaction of the needy man who with a bandage on his head clings to his rescuer, the considerable effort protracted by the latter, the heel lifting off from his shoe, are just a few details on which the viewer’s attention is focused, making the experience of his own emotional involvement deeper and deeper.
What does this painting want to convey?
It is a message of true compassion that emerges with extraordinary force: it comes from thought and follows up with action. To help our neighbor, necessarily, we need to take on his or her difficulties and “wear” – so to speak – his or her pain, to truly understand him or her.
In today’s society, which never has time to stop, the word compassion is in danger of sounding anachronistic, when it should be recovered and restored to its original dignity. Open your heart to compassion and do not close yourself off in indifference, is the exhortation Pope Francis assiduously addresses to the faithful around the world. His message, “giving back saves us from indifference,” encourages us to walk the path of “true justice” by abandoning all forms of individualism. Beware, however: a compassionate choice should not be limited to conceiving of a simple emotional response to what affects us deeply at a certain moment, but must become a choice of method and responsibility. According to biblical theology, compassion is the element whereby God “sees” the suffering of the people and is prepared to intervene on their behalf (Exodus 2:23-25; 3:7). Compassion can take many forms.
Personally, I am a great believer in the value of education and, therefore, in providing opportunities for promising young people who are willing but lack means to have access to quality schooling. A solid education lays the foundation for the growth of future society, making it better prepared to deal with the processes of change and development that affect businesses, the world of work, lifestyles and, above all, man as the soul of the community.
In keeping with Fordham’s mission, which is inspired by Jesuit thought, and specifically the meanings ascribed to the word “discernment,” I believe that being compassionate means recognizing another’s difficulty in order to remedy it unselfishly, without passing judgment.
The emotional relationship between those who help and those in need can only be constructive, as it helps both, fostering an attitude of hope while converting feelings into action. To help concretely is to sow a seed that will surely bear fruit in the future.